


a grain of comfort

by Squeemu



Series: Bandaids (Variety Box) [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: And the processing thereof, Angst, Bandaid fic, Blind Ignis, Grief/Mourning, It still hurts but at least you've patched it up, Look out they're on the shit train, Noct loves Ignis, Noct loves Luna, Noct loves all his friends, Noct still hurts, Sort Of, Verse 1 ending, and he would really like it if they stopped getting hurt because of him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 03:52:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14907803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squeemu/pseuds/Squeemu
Summary: The train rattled along its tracks, taking them away from the coast, away from everything familiar, away from Luna's death. The sun beat in through the windows, dust seeping in from between the cracks. Noct hated it.





	a grain of comfort

_it's all my fault_

The train rattled along its tracks, taking them away from the coast, away from everything familiar, away from Luna's death. The sun beat in through the windows, dust seeping in from between the cracks. Noct hated it. He hated everything about this place with an intensity that ached. He glared out the window and tried to will his mind empty.

 _it's all my fault it's all my fault it's all my fault_ jangled through his head, in perfect rhythm with the train.

Luna…

She had died. For _him._ Because she believed in some stupid prophecy, believed in Noct and thought he was worth protecting. She always had, and it'd felt— _good_ , back when he was a kid. That someone so good thought he was capable of good things, too.

Now it just hurt. He was sick of people dying for him, sick of people getting hurt because of him, and here he was, putting all those people in danger. Gladio, who had always been there for him, had always been prepared to die for him. Ignis, who had already suffered more than Noct could bear. And Prompto, happy-go-lucky Prompto, who followed him because Noct was his friend and had asked him to come.

He'd asked them to evacuate the citizens of Altissia, and they'd done it without question. And Ignis—

Noct bit his tongue, hard, welcoming the distraction of physical pain.

Ignis was sitting all by himself, sightless, in a train that was taking them ever deeper into enemy territory. Because Noct had asked him to help. And he'd almost died because of it, or at least, it seemed that way. Not that Ignis was willing to talk about it. Not to Noct.

Ignis wasn't really talking much about anything. He kept his tone quiet and carefully controlled, kept his thoughts to himself. He was _still_ looking out for Noct, protecting him, even after everything. It hurt almost as much as the rest.

Noct's eyes slid over to him again, slumped in the seat. He looked—tired, not just physically, but like he'd lost something very important to him. Or maybe given up on it.

It stuck in his throat, all that anger and sorrow. It was burning a hole in his chest, hollowing it out where all his other emotions had lain. Felt like it was going to consume him, all of him.

The sooner the better.

When Noct looked over again, Ignis was staring out the window, his expression blank. And—of course. He wasn't actually _staring_ , he was—

Noct swallowed, closed his eyes. Ignis couldn't even tell Noct was looking at him.

And opened them again, standing up. Even that decision hurt, but he made himself go over and sit next to Ignis anyway.

Ignis shifted slightly, turning his head in Noct's direction. It took him a moment to form the question. "Noct?" 

Noct couldn't get any words out.

Ignis seemed to know it was him, anyway. "Was there something you needed?"

Noct took a breath, let it out. "Not a thing." Nothing Ignis could give him, anyway.

Ignis took that in. His expression didn't change, but he looked—softer, just a little. 

They sat there in the silence of the rattling train car, not saying anything, but it was enough. Enough to quiet the clamor of Noct's thoughts. Ignis was alive, at least. It was a small grain of comfort in the desert rolling by outside their window.


End file.
